The Flower that Grows in the Rain
by Water Lock
Summary: ONE SHOT Juvia gets the "Hanahaki Disease" a disease that feeds on unrequited love. The only cure that exists is to extract the plant that blooms inside, along with the feelings that feed it (GRUVIA) (Translated Fic)


**The Flower that Grows in the Rain**

-Water Lock

Gray espied an artistic combination of brown, orange and yellow leaves moving with the autumn wind, clinging to the branches of nearby trees. It was a gray afternoon on which the sky seemed to threaten a torrential rain.

He sighed with regret, observing the blue petals lying on the floor that guided his gaze to the door behind which they were treating Juvia. The water mage had refused to undergo the treatment she needed, stubbornly clinging to her feelings to the point her life was in real danger.

Juvia had contracted the Hanahaki Disease, which materialized her love in a plant that grew in her interior, blooming, feeding on that pure feeling.

The extension of those feelings the mage harbored towards the ice user were no secret; after all, she lived professing it to the air, unwavering against the constant rejections. Unfortunately, the intensity of her emotions accelerated her death sentence. The disease advanced rapidly through her body, nourished by the boundless passion of the young woman with hair as blue as forget-me-nots. The petals soon started to decorate her lips, death waiting to greet her.

The cure was as cruel as the illness.

But at least she would live.

Juvia had not wanted that life. She didn't accept being taken away of the love that had driven the rain away from her. She was afraid to return to her dark days, to return to being "The Rain Woman" Between tears and sobs, she asked him not to do the intervention. Let her die with her heart beating for him until the last moment.

Gray couldn't let her die because he didn't correspond to her feelings. He would never forgive himself if a companion perished because he was incapable of melting the ice that enclosed his heart.

It was her deep love for him that finally convinced her, when Gray told her that if she did not heal, he would live with the guilt of being the reason for her perishing by not responding to her feelings.

"Gray-sama is not to blame ... " She had told him, before a fit of coughing made her spit out petals of light blue, stained with the red spots of her blood "Juvia doesn't want to stop loving you …" She continued stubbornly, with her hands covered by those damn flowers.

"Let them heal you, Juvia." He asked, almost like a plea. "I do not want to carry another death…"

The evening sky darkened, announcing the rain, crossed by a thick black cloud. The storm promised to be more intense than expected. Gray watched through the window, when deafening thunder echoed outside and a flash of lightning flooded the exterior landscape with cold light, giving way to the torrential water fall.

The downpour brought an oppression in his chest so intense that he felt it in his stomach, a feeling of sadness that weighted heavy upon his eyes. Gray knew at that moment that the intervention had been a success. Juvia no longer had deep feelings for him. Because of that, the rain was back, to occupy in the heart of the water mage, the place it knew before she met him.

"Gray-san" He looked up when he heard Wendy's voice. The door of the half-open room showed a glimpse of the bed on which Juvia rested "The operation turned out well."

"Can I see her?" His eyes continued to look inside the room.

"She's asleep." The girl replied. "The anesthesia is strong. She will sleep for a few hours." Gray's eyes returned to the petite blue-haired girl. She sighed lightly. "I guess you can still see her, but please, don't wake her up. She needs to recover from the surgery."

"I will."

Although he was determined to see her, the moment he reached the door, he could not help feeling nervous. The guilt came back to attack him, to remind him that all this was because of him. Because of his inability to love her, to look at her the way she'd look at him. He tried to ignore that feeling and inhumed it deep inside his mind; he wouldn't need that now. The operation had worked. Juvia was safe.

That was the most important thing.

Upon entering, he saw her asleep on the bed in a supine position, blankets snuggly covering her up to her chin. Her light blue hair decorating the whiteness of the pillow, scattered like a torrent of water.

Gray pulled a chair next to her and sat down, watching her.

From that day on, things would be very different.

Juvia would no longer rush towards him. She would no longer shout his name with her particular devotion. She would no longer be lost in her strange fantasies. He would no longer see her flushed face, would never have to cast a look of surprise again as the girl's mind traveled to her particular world where all women around wanted him and she had to fight for his love. Those corny tales of love would diminish. From that moment, she would be one of his companions. The unique treatment that she gave him was over…

The one that made him feel special.

And that was good. It was for the best. She would be cured of the disease, the ghost of death would halt its looming around her, and, as an extra, she would leave him alone. Gray must feel relieved by all those things. But he did not feel that way.

His dark eyes fell on her long, pale fingers.

Feeling himself getting carried away, he slid his fingertips over the skin of her hand, as gentle as the falling dew. Possibly, that would be the last time he could have contact with her.

He found himself missing so many things about Juvia. Her voice, her eyes, her passion, her hugs.

Her love.

He felt pressure inside him, as if something was pushing to get out. Placing one hand upon his chest, his other hand clung tightly to the water mage's one. Ensuing pain, intense and sharp, came on like a breath underwater. He let out a silent gasp, holding the sound in his throat. The sensation spread within him; he could feel the discomfort spread to his stomach and mouth, branching to the ends of his body. His legs weakened and he leaned forward, resting his burning forehead on the bed.

Suddenly, the itching in his throat forced him to wheeze, as if something was stuck.

The coughing fit intensified, shaking him in spasms as he struggled to let in air.

He fell from the chair, his knees catching his fall, while continuing the violent movements of his body convulsing, wanting to expel the strange object that was lodged inside him. His eyes were sanguine, tears blurred his vision and his cheeks turned red from the rising temperature of his body. The continuous action was leaving him without air; he felt the suffocation in his chest while his stomach was twisting. His back arched, each movement cut short by the force of the coughs.

Finally, the fight against his very organism had ceased and he was able to expel what had caused him such pain.

"Gray-san …" He heard the soft, but recognizable voice of the girl lying on the bed. But he did not turn to see her, nor did he respond. His mind had been paralyzed to recognize the element that had appeared from inside his body.

A white petal.

THANKS FOR READING!

This is a translation of a story I wrote in Spanish for a contest. We had to write about "Hanahaki Disease." When I read that it was unrequited love, I knew it had to be GRUVIA.

I want to thanks **haelyeon** who was the Beta Reader and helped me with the correctios of this story.

I hope you liked this! :)


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